Penrhyn and Aber ready for tough games

Penrhyn and Aber ready for tough games

EXCITEMENT is building for a number of clubs across the country as they get ready to take part in the third round of the JD Welsh Cup.

Penrhyncoch face one of the toughest tasks of the third round as they travel to Park Hall to take on Welsh Premier League Champions TNS tonight (Friday, Dec 1).

The Roosters may be fourth from bottom in the Huws Gray Alliance League but they certainly have the quality to hurt the Champions.

They have scored four in each of the first two rounds in this competition so TNS will need to have their guard up.

Roosters boss Gari Lewis said: “We’ll be going up there and we’ll try and keep things as tight as we possibly can. The boys trained well on Tuesday and it’s a David and Goliath game for us. We’ll be looking to create three or four counter attacking chances and we’ve got some good players.

“It is a huge game for us so we’ll keep it as our final and whatever happens in the game we will learn from it. Other teams have gone there this season such as Carmarthen and Prestatyn and conceded five or six but we’ll go there with confidence.”

Penrhyn have been dealt a blow ahead of the game with the news that former Haverfordwest striker Steffan Davies has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with a quad strain.

Aberystwyth Town face fellow Welsh Premier League side and JD Welsh Cup holders Bala Town at Park Avenue.

The club has had success in this competition in the past as they reached the final in 2009 and more recently in 2014.

Aber enter the game with momentum, after a convincing 3-0 victory over Newtown last Friday night (Nov 24), while Bala come into this game on the back of a 5-0 defeat to Bangor City and they will be looking to bounce back from that result.

Bala beat the Black and Greens 2-1 on November 17 while the other game between the two sides earlier in the season finished 1-1.

The sides will know each other well but Aberystwyth will be keen to get one over on the Lakesiders as they look to push on after a difficult start to the season.

Bala won the competition last season so they will be keen to avoid being knocked out at the first stage.

Wales v Scotland postponed

WALES’ Six Nations match at home to Scotland on Saturday has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The two other Six Nation fixtures had already been postponed and no date has been confirmed to complete the 2020 Championship.

The Welsh Rugby Union had insisted earlier on Friday the game would “go ahead as planned”.

A WRU statement read: “The Welsh Rugby Union has maintained an open dialogue with, and continued to seek advice and direction from, the National Assembly for Wales and other stakeholders, including the Six Nations, on this fast-moving issue.

“Whilst medical advice remains consistent, we have decided that it is in the best interests of supporters, players and staff to fall in line with recent measures taken across the UK and global sports industries.

“The WRU would like to thank all parties for their counsel on the subject and will make further announcements with respect to rescheduling the fixture in the coming days.

“Every effort has been made to stage this game and we appreciate that individuals will have been inconvenienced. Given the fluid and unprecedented nature of this issue a postponement became the only viable option.”

Exercise Referral Scheme doing more for health intervention than ever before

A record 35,069 participants attended Exercise Referral classes during 2640 hours of health classes in 2019.

The National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) is an evidence-based health intervention scheme which incorporates physical activity and behavioural change techniques to support referred clients to make lifestyle changes to improve their health and well-being.

NERS Ceredigion has seen a dramatic increase in demand over the past year. A coordinator and four full time exercise professionals work to deliver the scheme, delivering 73 classes per week. The age of participants range from 16 years old, with the eldest participant in Ceredigion being 95.

Councillor Catrin Miles, Cabinet member with responsibility for Leisure, highlighted the benefits of the scheme, “There are many physical, psychological and social benefits to being part of the scheme, including confidence-building, better self-esteem, meeting new people and being generally fitter and healthier. Ceredigion Actif’s highly qualified Health Intervention Team provide opportunities to exercise that are fun, rewarding and that can be incorporated into everyday life.”

A participant in Aberystwyth said, “This has been the best thing I have ever done. I have thrived from doing different activities and pushing myself out of my comfort zone which has not only helped my self-esteem but also my depression and everything else including my pain. I have also made new friends which I didn’t even consider would happen and we’re not only being social but we’re having fun too which is a bonus”.

There is ongoing monitoring from the instructors with follow up assessments at 16 weeks as well as on completion at 52 weeks. Long-term ‘maintenance’ options are available post 16 weeks which include the continuation of exercise classes as well as opportunities to join clubs such as walking basketball, walking football, golf sessions and walking rugby.

During 2018-2019 there were 913 referrals to the scheme. To gain access to the scheme, a person needs to be referred by a Health Professional, usually a GP, Practice Nurse or a condition specific Physiotherapist.